In July the Itchy Feet Family took a seven night cruise departing Southampton, UK, through the Fjords of Norway. As an Australian family - there were a few noticeable differences to travelling on a British based ship as opposed to an Australian.

Here were our top eight stand out observations: - good, bad and indifferent.​​1. No Lanyards​On Australian ships we love wearing our room keys on lanyards in a kaleidoscope of colours proudly around our neck. On the Britannia there was barely a lanyard to be seen. No fire sale on day 1 to get your blinged out lanyard - the Brits just put them in their pocket!

2. Women Love a Lager

I have never in my life seen so many women drinking pints. It is the beverage of choice for men and women alike. I will never lose the picture of a 70 year old lady necking a lager like I drink a bottle of water after a work out! And with so many options of craft beers and beers on tap - why not enjoy a lager! The bars offer sampler paddles of beer so you can try a range of craft brews from varying regions across the UK. And if you simply can’t find a waiter - there is a self-serve beer tap in the buffet just swipe and pour!

3. Long Life Milk

Brits don’t mind a bit of long life milk - Aussies prefer it fresh. The advantage is that there was a kettle in the room with mountainous supplies of tea/coffee and long life milk. At any time - day or night - a cup of tea was available in your cabin. In the buffet restaurant long life milk in sachets is kept on the tables so tea could be poured at the table and you did not have to get up for milk. For me, I prefer milk from a jug rather than a sachet.

4. No Baristas

Australians are coffee snobs and we love a good coffee made by a Barista. Although there was Costa coffee on board - the machines were automated. The coffee waiter simply pressed a button and the machine did the work.

5. Kids Can Not Roam

When the kids are put into kids club, they are secured. In Australia generally children can sign themselves in and out of kids club from age 10. On the Britannia, kids have to be 13 years old to gain that privilege.

The kids club was also open quite late - until 11pm at night. The Brits like to party so the kids are well looked after so the parents can enjoy the onboard evening activities.

6. No Leaving Kids On The Ship

If parents go ashore - the kids go with them. In Australia and the US kids clubs operate on port days and parents are able to leave the ship without the kids. This is not allowed on the Britannia.

Not that we have regularly done this - however there have been a few occasions when we have taken the kids off the ship in the morning and then enjoyed an afternoon exploring further without them when they were too tired to continue.

On this particular cruise our first port day was met with cold, wind and rain. Whilst we put ponchos on the kids and headed out into the awful weather, they were not impressed. We did not get to explore much - there was only so far we could force them to walk in the rain. The adults however would have soldiered through - but back to the ship it was. The kids enjoyed their afternoon in kids club whilst the adults had to sit on deck and wonder what could have been explored at a port stop they would probably never return to.

7. Best of British

Best of British sail away party, Best of British quiz, Best of British party night, Best of British stage show - I did not realise the British were so patriotic. It was actually great to see - even if it meant at Trivia time we got the so called “easy questions” wrong. We simply had no chance when the theme of the quiz was British TV show songs.

8. Formal is Formal

Wow can the British bring out a frock! Where did all these women get such formal gowns from. I have never seen so many long flowing ball gowns and men in tuxedos. Even on smart casual evenings the British glam it up! Maybe they don’t get out much - maybe they are just more proper than us Aussies. Even on the last night of the cruise passengers were suited and booted with high heels, frocks and ties on display.

Cruising is a great family travel option, if you are considering a cruise outside of Australian waters you may want to consider a few of the cultural differences you will encounter. Have you cruised abroad? What differences did you notice?

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As an ex-pat Brit, (now Australian citizen) - I would like to comment on the blog.

Having experienced around 25 cruises since 2012, on P and O Australia, Princess, Carnival, Royal Caribbean etc., I would like to say that one of my ain bugbears is the habit of wearing the cruise card on a lanyard around your neck 24/7.

Why? The only time my lanyard leaves my pocket is when embarking/disembarking at a port call, or paying for dinner/drinks). Otherwise it stays where it is. Avoiding the risk of blowing away in the wind when out on deck.

Aside from that, if your dressed up for the evening, formal or semi- formal, why would you want to spoil the look with some tacky, cheap looking lanyard and a plastic card?

So true - I don't understand where the habit of wearing lanyards started in Australia - it just seems to be what we do. And yes, totally ruins the formal outfits! LOL

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Ken Roberts

10/8/2017 08:52:31 pm

Not having a lanyard in Oz makes it hard to hide your card in your budgie smugglers! It also useful when the cruise card is your room key. From Ian’s comment they must have a separate key (or he never leaves his cabin)...

Great post! As a Brit who has sailed from Australia on American Princess Cruises (and had a wonderful time) I can fully relate to how those differences might have stood out on your British based cruise. And yes ... lager. Say no more!

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Travelady

8/14/2017 01:25:00 pm

The lager drinking ladies is a very English habit. When I first crossed the border many moons ago I was stunned to see women drinking beer. Had never seen it before and it's still not a done thing in Scotland. Probably to do with your pub culture.

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Maureen

8/13/2017 04:43:43 pm

Great review really enjoyed reading it. We were on Britannia last year and although it's not our favourite in the fleet we had a great time. Agree with the comments regarding lanyards, really don't get why some people wear them as some kind of badge of honour 😀

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Pat Fox

8/13/2017 05:17:01 pm

Enjoyed this post! Must admit I am one of the few Brits who wear a lanyard (usually tucked in my tee shirt!) it means I don't loose it!

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Kerryn

8/16/2017 09:51:43 pm

Great blog. We have had a few cruises in Australia New Zealand, Asia and through to Hawaii and we are venturing to Southampton next March for a 24 night through the Mediterranean. it is interesting reading some of the comments on the various pages. Formal nights in Australia are not as numerous. On our cruise of 24 nights it means 8 min plus another theme night. Note to self - increase baggage allowance 🚢✈️😎

Hi , I am Australian and went to the fiords in September on azura , and I found it a bit funny with the difference , loved having a kettle in the cabin, but don't like long life milk as well
Loved the daily biscuits
Love wearing the lanyard around my neck
I went with English friends and they wore them around their neck after I told them to buy lanyards
Yes, the British do enjoy a formal night, me not much
They do a good sail off even when it is pouring rain
They did afternoon tea very well when you returned from your day,off the ship
We did the special high tea they do on sea days and that was excellent
I found the shops not that good and thought they could have a better range of goods
I have been on Royal Caribbean cruises and found them very different
But all in all I really enjoyed the cruise and would love to return to Norway and fiords but did find it very expensive Due to currency differences

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Vanessa Hall

8/19/2018 09:12:44 pm

Get real.milk from buffet and keep in fridge in room.
Please don't wear a langyard.

Interesting read. Pints are really popular in the UK with women now but though I prefer a glass of wine! It is interesting observations, reminded me of a cruise we had out of Singapore, the passengers were predominantly Australian or Chinese. We like a drink and a party but fair play we couldn't keep up with the Aussies, and the contrast of the seriousness of the Chinese was a real strange mix. Great post, enjoyed reading it!

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Stuart

10/27/2017 11:15:02 pm

UHT Milk.... We don't like it but tolerate it.
I think it's easier for the cruise lines to offer UHT as it does not require refrigeration.

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Author

Penny, an avid Trip Advisor Reviewer, is the author of ITCHY FEET FAMILY. A family of 4 living in Adelaide, Australia, and taking every opportunity to travel and explore the world.